Recording, playback, and distribution of dashboard interactions including annotations

Abstract

An interaction tracking facility records, stores, plays back, distributes and allows recipients to interject new events into a stored set of discrete interaction events of a dashboard. A recorder stores data that identifies dashboard annotation and analysis events so that they can be later retrieved and played back. During playback, the stored events are executed, in stepwise fashion, in another dashboard, recreating the events recorded on the first dashboard as if they were performed on the second dashboard. The second dashboard can be coupled to different data than the original dashboard without changing the stored events. Events are stored in a repository and identified by a URL, which can be sent to a recipient for retrieval. The playback can be stopped at any time, and a branch recording created with a second set of interaction events that are different from or additional to the original recording events.

1 . An event interaction tracking facility for a user interface dashboard comprising:
 a recorder structured to create a series of one or more discrete representations of user-controlled interactions with a first dashboard coupled to a first set of data, and to store the discrete representations in a list; and   a playback facility structured to control a second dashboard coupled to a second set of data, the playback facility further structured to select a discrete representation from the stored list and to recreate the associated interaction in the second dashboard.   
     
     
         2 . The event interaction tracking facility of  claim 1  in which the recorder further comprises:
 a media generator structured to create a representation of a media event and to associate the media event with one of the one or more discrete representations of user-controlled interactions.   
     
     
         3 . The event interaction tracking facility of  claim 2  in which the media generator is structured to associate a visual cue coupled to a widget in the first dashboard. 
     
     
         4 . The event interaction tracking facility of  claim 2  in which the media generator is an audio generator. 
     
     
         5 . The event interaction tracking facility of  claim 1  in which the second dashboard is identical to the first dashboard. 
     
     
         6 . The event interaction tracking facility of  claim 1  in which the playback facility is structured to generate a visual signal on the second dashboard when a condition set against the first set of data is not met in the second set of data. 
     
     
         7 . The event interaction tracking facility of  claim 6  in which the condition is a comparison of a number in the second set of data to a fixed constant number. 
     
     
         8 . The event interaction tracking facility of  claim 1  in which the playback facility is structured to invoke the recorder after one or more of the discrete representations have been recreated on the second dashboard to create a branch version of the discrete representations. 
     
     
         9 . A computer-controlled method to create a playable event history, comprising:
 storing a collection of individual events of interactions with a first dashboard coupled to a first set of data;   identifying the stored collection with a unique address;   retrieving the stored collection by the unique address; and   recreating the collection of individual events of interactions on a second dashboard coupled to a second set of data.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 associating a visual cue with one of the individual events.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  in which recreating the collection of individual events of interactions comprises operating the second dashboard as if it were controlled by an interactive user. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  in which recreating the collection of individual events of interactions on the second dashboard comprises sequentially stepping through the individual events. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  in which recreating the collection of individual events of interactions on the second dashboard has no affect on content controls set for the second dashboard. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 storing a second collection of individual events including interactions with the first dashboard and interactions with the second dashboard.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 generating an alert based on an interaction event applied to the second set of data.   
     
     
         16 . A system, comprising:
 a first dashboard coupled to a first set of data;   a recorder structured to store a collection of events as discrete units as they are performed on the first dashboard; and   an event playback facility structured to retrieve the collection of events and execute the retrieved events on a second dashboard.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising a condition stored in the collection of events that, when compared against a second set of data coupled to the second dashboard, causes a signal on the second dashboard to be generated. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , in which the recorder further comprises an interaction tracking facility structured to attach an annotation to a widget on the first dashboard. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16 , in which the event playback facility is structured to individually step through the collection of discrete units. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 16 , in which a selection on the playback facility causes the recorder to record a collection of events as discrete units as they are performed on the second dashboard.